Down A New Path
by MidnyteEmberRose
Summary: Raven is very worried about a new connection with the male bird in the tower.


AN: Disclaimer: Don't own any characters or titles of the show so please don't sue me, I'm just trying to have fun.

DOWN A NEW PATH

I paced my room thinking of the events that had just occurred about an hour ago. I had entered his mind and saw some things that nobody knew. Did he know? Did he know that I knew? Surely he did. I can feel him now. All his pain. All his sorrow. Oh good Azar, I needed to meditate. A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts. It's him. I opened the door and am nearly thrown back by all the emotions I pick up. Anger, guilt, concern, sorrow, maybe regret, and something else that I never thought would come from him. _Fear._ He didn't look like the fearless and confident leader I had come to follow. He looked more like a child. An insecure child. The bruised and scars could still be seen along with the black eye he had received from "Slade".

"Hi, Raven." He greets me.

"Robin." I say in my best monotone voice.

"I know it's late, but could I talk to you?" He asked, almost pleadingly.

I nod and invite him into my room. I watch for a scared reaction by the décor of my room, but it never comes.

Instead he says, "I like your drama statues."

I'm taken aback by the compliment, but I take it as his way of breaking the ice and thank him anyway. He shifted from each leg and rubbed his shoulder. I had never seen him so unsure.

"Robin?" I asked, just to get his attention.

"Hmm?" Was his only reply.

"You wanted to talk." I reminded him.

"Oh yeah, I'm sorry. Umm, I just wanted to know wh-when you entered my mind w-what all did you see?" He asked.

I stared at him for a second before answering, "I think you know."

He exhaled sharply.

I could tell he wasn't happy with me knowing.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

He stared at the floor, as if he knew what I was going to ask.

"Yes."

"Who were those people? The ones I saw falling. What do they have to do with you?" I asked as gently as I could.

He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. I could feel his sadness, anger, and self loathing coming off him like it was the wind through the trees.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked, you don't have to explain." I reassured him.

He finally looked up at me and I gasped. There were tears running down his face. I could feel that he hated himself for breaking down so easily in front of someone. He tried to wipe away the tears.

"Sorry." He apologized.

"There's no reason to be," I grabbed his hands, "You have so much sadness and anger weighing down on your shoulders, Robin. Don't ever think you need to keep your emotions bottled up around me."

He forced a smile. "That's interesting, coming from a girl who always bottles up her emotions."

"I don't bottle them up. I have to keep them in line, you know that. You don't."

Images of his thoughts flashed through her mind, including some of his past and events that occurred earlier that night. The heaviness of it all forced me to my knees.

"Raven!"

He tried to comfort me, but I pushed him away.

"No, Robin. Don't." I protested, trying to slow my erratic breathing. "Just give me a minute. All your emotions…they're interacting with mine and…"

"Shh, I understand. Maybe I should leave so things won't get any worse."

"No, it won't matter. I'll still be able to feel you." I managed to pull myself up on my bed. "This is going to be harder than I thought."

He sat down crisscross on the floor.

"What are you doing?" I asked, watching him do breathing exercises.

"Trying to calm down so I won't hurt you anymore."

"You didn't hurt me, Robin."

"Still it couldn't hurt."

I quietly stared at him while he relaxed his muscles and tried to clear his mind of all thought. 'Wait a minute? Clear is mind? He's meditating! Interesting, I didn't know he knew the process of meditation. Although, I suppose when you're raised by an emotionless man like Batman you have to learn to control your own emotions in some way.'

"He's not emotionless."

I was brought out of my thoughts at the sound of Robin's voice.

"I didn't…"

"I heard you in my mind." He said.

I blushed in embarrassment.

"It's okay. Many people have the same theory, and like you they're partly right, but I've seen through all his personal walls." He reassured before becoming silent once again.

I continued to watch as he sat so still. His chest rising and fall with each breath.

"Okay." He finally said, indicating the end of his meditation.

"It didn't know you meditated."

"Well you're not the only one who has to be careful of emotional outbursts. I may not release power like you, but I do end up breaking something or hurting someone." This time he had the decency to be a little ashamed.

"Robin, this connection or "bond" that we now seem to have will allow us to see the others dreams or can even go inside the mind."

He got up and sad down on the bed next to me. "I don't think I like that. I mean on the one hand I would like to get to know you better, but on the other, well let's just say I have some things that I don't want anyone to know, because I don't want to explain them. This all seems way too…"

"Uncomfortable," I finished for him, understanding what he meant, "I knew you'd feel exposed and vulnerable, and believe me I feel the same way. I don't want anyone knowing a few things about myself."

"So what can we do?"

"There is a way to block out people from reading your mind, but it takes much practice and patience."

"I'm willing to try anything."

"Are you willing to trust me?"

"I already trust you." He smiled.

I smiled back, "Okay. Let's begin…."

The End!

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